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Former major league baseball player Dmitri Young (with the Tigers and Reds among others) was caught coming through an airport checkpoint in Florida with marijuana recently. He was detained “for about an hour,” and was released with a $100 fine.

But Dmitri – who works in Oakland for an Independent Frontier League team – told XM Radio Wednesday morning that the source of his cannabis was medicinal.

“I am doing fine, and I am not calling from jail,” he joked to start the segment. “Without getting into the legalities that are still pending, I have the medical condition, of course being diabetic and having all these old aches and pains. Been to rehab before. And upon retirement been consulting with a doctor about having something to alleviate some of the pain that I’ve been going through in all my career.”

The owners of the team Dmitri works for also suggested to a newspaper that his marijuana was for medical purposes, so it looks like this little episode won’t cost him his job.

I used to watch Dmitri play a lot when he was with the Reds, and he was always one of my favorite players. An above average hitter, he ran like his legs were caked in molasses. You can’t have it all, as they say. But I’m sure all his upper body weight has done a number on his legs. Good luck Dmitri, and you might want to consider a permanent move to Oakland.

- Joe Klare